With tomorrow being Mother's Day and all, this week's update takes place on a Saturday as a result!
Lots of great progress to report, the build is 99% complete. I picked up from the last round by applying a dull coat using MM Lusterless Flat in the spray can.
After that had dried, it was on to the pigment weathering. I selected Mig Dry Mud to produce the dusty effects as seen in the reference photo posted earlier in the build. This was applied as a wet mixture using ordinary tap water with a drop of liquid dish washing soap added to break the surface tension. It's applied liberally using a sable brush to get it into all the various nooks and crannies.
The wet mix is allowed to air dry and then the removal process begins. The first step is remove excess pigment using a round stiff bristle brush. I wear a dust mask during this process as inhaling the fine pigment powder is not a good idea. After the round brush, I use a series of smaller square and rectangular stiff bristle brushes to get into the harder to reach places and remove excess where necessary.
Next more of the pigment is removed/adjusted using dry cotton swabs. A pair of tweezers is kept handy to remove any snagged fibers that get loose from the swab in the process.
Because of the large hull sides on this vehicle, I wanted to show some dust streaking effects with the pigments. This was accomplished by using a water-dampened large sable brush and drawing the brush downward to pull the pigments into streak lines.
Last but not least, the final details were added for the large head lamp on the hull front in terms of the kit-provided clear lens. The smaller lights on the hull sides under the main turret received some 'lenses' of their own courtesy of small amounts of Testors Window-Maker glue added with a toothpick.
I also took a set of walk-around photos to see if there's anything amiss for final adjustment. Will check tomorrow to see if I need to tweak anything before declaring this one 'done'.
